Coast Guard rescues 3 from capsized boat in Lake Ontario

CLEVELAND — The Coast Guard rescued three people after their boat capsized in Lake Ontario, Saturday afternoon.

At 3:50 p.m., a search-and-rescue controller at Coast Guard Sector Buffalo received notification from the Niagara County 911 dispatcher of three adult males in the water whose 19-foot recreational boat had capsized three miles offshore of Four Mile Creek State Park, N.Y.

Also responding were rescue aircrews from Customs Border Protection and Joint Rescue Coordination Center Trenton along with the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Cape Storm.

The rescue boatcrew from Station Niagara rescued the three men and transported them back to the station where two were taken by ambulance to St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston, N.Y., and the other was taken by a life flight helicopter to Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo.

The rescued were last known to be in stable condition.

The rescue boatcrew was unable to tow the recreational boat to safety and the vessel was last observed to be sinking.

“The air is warm enough for boating season, but water temperatures are still dangerously cold,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Craig Deats-Cascio, officer-of-the-day at Station Niagara.

“These three men are lucky to be alive thanks to the hard work and cooperation between the Coast Guard and our partner agencies.”